The Truth
by vampire-elf
Summary: It hasn't been long since Vincent became an experiment at Shinra. This particular day, though, shows him exactly how horrible and traumatizing Shinra is...


The Truth

A man in a long white coat with glasses shuffled down the hall, mumbling to himself. His hair, inky and hanging in strands, was tied messily behind his head. His eyebrows were curved, knitting in deep thought. He walked past dark gray doors and blank indigo walls. Voices could be heard on either side of him, muffled, talking quickly.

The man turned and walked down a set of stairs, then another. Now he was striding along a very bright hall, nothing but white floor, ceiling, and walls. It was now very silent, and no voices could be heard. Only his footsteps mad noise in the stillness.

He reached a large metal door. Carefully inscribed on it were the words Experiment 46 –– Valentine. The scientist pulled a key ring from his pocket and began to glance at each one of the keys briefly.

"Too many, too many…" he muttered. "Hmm, this one? No, no…" His fingers flipped the keys, and he finally found the correct one. The man smiled and slipped the key into the lock, and its click echoed into the silence when the door unlocked. The man opened up the door and walked inside.

The room was very dark, save the dim lights scattered about the round place. Four long tables were barely visible in the shadows cast by the lights. One table was flooded with bottles and tubes, some with strange liquids in them. Another table had unusual objects, such as equipment and instruments used for experiments. The third table was piled with books, papers, and pencils. The last table, which was in the middle of the room, had on it a tall silhouette.

The man found a lightswitch and the dim lights disappeared when a very large lamp brightened the room. The man pushed his glasses up his nose and waltzed to the man lying on the table. Large brown belts were tightened around the man's arms and legs so that he could not free himself.

"You're awake?" the scientist inquired, looking into the man's deep crimson eyes. The man did not answer. His dark gray pants and long ebony hair made his face seem even more pale than it was, and it released an eerie effect to his silence. The other man grunted and turned away. "Silent as usual, I see," he said. "You've hardly talked since you became one of my experiments. Why is that so?"

"There is nothing to talk about, Professor Hojo," the man said suddenly, and the man named Hojo jumped.

"There is plenty to talk about," he snapped. "The weather, art, books, anything you wish."

"I haven't been outside in two years, I haven't seen a good picture in two years, and I haven't read any books in two years. I can't talk about anything."

"At least you have you're voice, be thankful for that."

"I think that soon I'll lose it because of my screaming."

Silence followed the comment. Hojo's gray eyes glared down at the man strapped to the table.

"What makes you think, Vincent, that you are the only one who's suffered here?" he asked, his tone biting.

"I didn't say that. I only––"

"Shut up!" snarled Hojo. "I didn't ask you what you said. Now answer my question."

Vincent was hushed for a small moment, then said, "I don't think I'm the only one to suffer. I know there are others. If I've been given the number forty-six, how is it possible that I'm the only one who feels pain?"

"You'd better keep those smart remarks to yourself," growled Hojo, turning away once more. "You know I don't like comments like that."

"Yes, sir," Vincent said quietly. He became wary of Hojo's actions. The strong rays of light above him made it difficult to see exactly what the scientist was doing. He could hear Hojo grumbling to himself, as he often did, but couldn't catch a word. Hojo finally turned around with large scissors in his fingers. Vincent tried not to show his fear, however he couldn't help but turn away from the sight.

"Relax, will you?" Hojo sighed, almost as if he were bored. "I'm not doing anything yet."

"_Yet" is the only word that has me worried,_ Vincent thought apprehensively. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He could never predict what Hojo would do to him. Hojo was a very spontaneous man––but definitely not in a positive way.

"Why…did you come here?" Vincent questioned. Hojo turned to him and a wicked grin stretched his lips.

"Maybe it's because you're one of the most unique experiments I've seen."

"Why is that?"

"Because you're still human. I didn't want to inject you with Jenova cells or Mako, we've seen the influence of that already. Especially with those Jenova cells." Hojo whistled. "Some of the productions we've seen, I tell you…"

Vincent's eyes narrowed. He turned away again when he saw a long rusty knife in Hojo's fingers. He shivered involuntarily at past memories…

"Hmm, you seem uptight today. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Vincent didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to see what Hojo was holding now. He heard a small noise from Hojo's mouth, and it sounded as though he'd just found what he wanted. Footsteps entered Vincent's ears and his muscles tightened with alarm. What was the scientist planning now?  
"We got a new variety of chemicals today, and by President's orders, we are to test them out," Hojo was saying. There were a few small clicks, then Hojo spoke again. "This may hurt a bit, Vincent…"

Vincent's eyes snapped open and he barely saw a long and hideous needle get shoved into his arm. With hardly any warning whatsoever, the sudden pain pierced into his arm like a knife, and he screamed. The throbbing dove into the rest of his body, and it was agonizing. He struggled viciously to get Hojo away from him, but he stood no chance against the belts fastening him to the table. He wailed again, this time much louder and longer, eyes tightly shut. His head was pounding, his limbs burning––save his shimmering golden arm, which no longer could feel pain, heat, or anything of the matter. It was no longer the arm of a human, but the arm of an experiment.

"Will you quit your whining?" Hojo shouted angrily. "It's only an injection, it won't kill you. At least, I don't think it will. The other scientists tried others, and no deaths took place."

Vincent gasped as the needle was pulled out. He lay on the counter, eyes wide, body trembling. He closed his eyes and took in deep breaths, regaining control of himself. Soon, the shivering had subsided and the pain was gone.

"That's better. This composition of fluids doesn't last very long, so we have to do this quickly. I am going to let you wander, all right? Don't get excited, you're not free. I only need to study the affects. It's supposed to help you 'see the truth,' or something…" Hojo began to mumble to himself again. Vincent blinked his eyes open and looked around the room. Nothing seemed different at the moment. He glanced at where he thought he last saw Hojo.

His eyes widened and he stared in utter fright and astonishment.

The creature turned around and stared at Vincent for a few seconds. Then, with Hojo's voice, it cried, "What are you goggling at?" It hesitated. "Wait, maybe this is part of the effects," it murmured. The thing was an ugly sight; it was lopsided with a very long head, jaw thin and crooked. A three-fingered arm hung awkwardly off to its right side, pinkish-purple and fleshy. Another arm had grown unevenly below the other. This one was thin and red, reaching the floor as if it was stablizing the beast. This…thing…had no legs. Its body only grew thick at the bottom like a tree trunk and held the weight.

"Vincent! What is wrong with you? What do you see?" Hojo's voice was coming out of this animal's mouth!

"I…I don't know," Vincent breathed, still stunned. "A…creature. I don't know what, but…" He couldn't describe it. "Words won't say a thing."

"Hmm…" the creature muttered. "Hallucination, oversized imagination…" It slid itself over to Vincent and somehow began to unbuckle the belts confining him. Vincent sat up slowly, his eye still cast on Hojo's new form. He didn't know whether it was trustworthy or not.

The monster slithered across the room and picked up a long metal bar with two cuffs on either side. Vincent held out his arms and the creature locked the restraints around his wrists.

"All right, come on. We don't have a lot of time. It wears off after about an hour." Hojo guided Vincent out the door and down the long hallway. Vincent was timid about what he would see. If Hojo had become this awful…_thing_, what else would he encounter? Vincent couldn't even prepare himself; he had no clue what he was coming to!

Vincent saw nothing abnormal as they walked down the hall. It was as plain as ever. But every time he glanced at Hojo, the horrid beast stood in the scientist's place.

"Now you'd better not try anything stupid, do you hear me? You know the consequences when something tries to escape…"

Vincent glanced at his golden arm and nodded once. The two walked up two levels of stairs––Vincent didn't know how the creature was able to, without any legs––and into a dark hall of the Shinra building. Vincent looked around warily, but everything seemed to be normal. He and the monster slowly walked down the halls, and Vincent looked at everything he could. Still, all seemed perfectly fine. But the young man knew he wouldn't just see walls and doors.

They walked through a door, one that Vincent had never encountered before. This hall was also white with many doors on either sides of the corridor. There were strange noises coming from all around, and it made Vincent's stomach churn.

"No reaction yet, hmm? Why don't we take a peek in some of these rooms?"

Vincent wanted to say no. He wished that he could defy this scientist without fear, but he was completely under his control. He couldn't get away with things at all, hardly. Whatever he did wrong added just another injection, cut, or stab. It was a terrible possibility that he might also be stripped of any clothing on him and forced into a long and wide tube, which soon would be filled with florescent green-blue liquid; Mako.

Hojo opened a door on the left and Vincent nervously entered. The room was dark except for a large lamp, and five figures were standing around a long table. They all glanced up when the door opened.

"Hey! You can't be in here! What are y––"

"Professor Hojo! Ha ha, please excuse Professor Markh. He didn't know it was you. What are you up here for?"

"I'm conducting an experiment with Project Forty-Six." The monster gestured to Vincent. "Don't mind us, carry on with your business."

The silhouettes turned and began to work on what Vincent and Hojo had interrupted. "All right, Vincent. I see five scientists slaving away on a hideous monster. What do you see?"

They got nearer to the large blob of people. Vincent took in a deep breath and glanced nervously at one of the silhouettes. It was just a normal man. He let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at the others. There was a woman, another man, and three strange shapes. Vincent squinted in the bright light, then gasped and backed away.

They were also hideous monsters. They didn't look like Hojo, but they weren't human.

Vincent wished he could leave, but he was not able to.

"More monsters?" inquired Hojo. Vincent nodded noiselessly. "What's on the table?"

Vincent was afraid to look, but he did as he was told. He slowly moved his eyes to the white counter. He thought he would see another creature, but then again, he didn't know what "the truth" was.

Lying silently on the table was no monster, nor anything ugly at all. It was a woman: a very beautiful woman. Her face was very pale, almost gray. Her eyes were sewn shut by thick black stitches. Very long, wavy, black hair swirled about her face and the table. Her lips were also a deep inky color.

Vincent stared at this woman for a long time. The sight was horrific, but for some reason, he couldn't get his eyes away from the woman's face. The sound of Hojo's voice snapped him out of his daze, however.

"What is it? What do you see?"

"A…woman." Vincent took in a deep breath. He shut his eyes and turned away. "A very beautiful woman…" He heard the scratching of a pen as Hojo wrote something down on the clipboard in his hand.

"Hmm…all right then. Move along. Thank you for your time."

They left the room and started for another door. Vincent's nerves almost went out of control as a deafening screech entered his ears. Hojo forced him through the door before Vincent could ask him to stop.

There were at least eight men and women––all were human––struggling against a thrashing shape. Though this room was a bit brighter, Vincent couldn't make out the creature.

"All right, Vincent. Here I see a mass of scientists trying to tie down a terrible raging monster."

Vincent precariously eased himself forward a few steps. Suddenly, though, he heard a voice.

"Help!" it screamed. "Someone, please! Get these people away from me! _Augh_, get off! Mommy!"

Vincent choked and immediately turned away, trembling and panting. He put his hands to his head and began to groan.

"No, make it stop…" he begged. "Please, Hojo, get me out of here, please!"

Hojo glanced back at the brawl. "What do you see, Vincent?"

"Get me out!" Vincent snarled, lunging into Hojo's face–-or whatever it was. The creature showed no reaction. Vincent began to sob, sinking to his knees, hands again to his head. "Please, oh please… Get me out of here, get me out of here, get me out of here…"

Hojo sighed and jerked Vincent to his feet and dragged him outside.

"All right, you coward. What did you see?"

Vincent couldn't answer, he was so stunned. He breathed deeply for a few moments, regaining his composure.

"I…I saw…a young boy…" Vincent choked, stomach writhing and churning. He for sure thought he was going to be sick. But he still answered Hojo's question. "A young boy…being tied with ropes with scars all over his body…"

"A young boy, hmm? What did he look like?"

"Black hair…and blue eyes…" Vincent suddenly couldn't control himself any more, and he grabbed Hojo's shoulders, or what he thought were his shoulders. "How could you!" he yelled angrily. "A child! A young boy! Why, Hojo! Why do you have to transform these innocent people into mindless things!"

Hojo slapped Vincent hard on the face, sending him hard to the ground.

"Keep your filthy hand and claw off me!" he hissed. Vincent lay on the ground, still shivering. He clenched his teeth, made a fist, and slammed it into the floor.

"I cannot believe you," he whispered, voice broken by pain, anger, and grief. "You're a sad excuse for a scientist."

"Enough talking, get up. I want one more test." Hojo tugged Vincent to his feet with that horrible and ugly arm of his. Vincent was silent as they walked down the hall. Fury boiled inside him, but he was still shocked at what he had seen.

A boy, no older than ten, screaming for help, crying with fear, begging for mercy. The image embroidered itself in Vincent's memory, and he had the feeling it would never go away.

"All right, this is a different room. No screaming 'children' or 'beautiful women,' all right?"

Vincent said nothing. Hojo opened the door and ushered him inside.

The room was very long. It was quite dark, but the glowing green tanks lining the walls illuminated the room.

"What I see is a room filled with tanks, which all are holding one creature and Mako."

Vincent swallowed a knot in his throat and ventured forward. He glanced cautiously at each tank. So far, the things he was seeing were just people––mostly men––calmly resting in the tank. One boy, however, caught Vincent's attention. He was different from the rest. He didn't know why, but somehow, this boy stood out. Vincent looked at the other tanks around him and realized something; this boy was younger than the others. Only by a year, but there was a difference. Vincent scrutinized the boy meticulously, looking him up and down. The boy's hair was blonde, most of it spiking in one direction.

"Keep moving! We don't have much time left."

Hesitantly, Vincent tore his eyes from the boy. He kept walking until he reached a tank much bigger than the rest. In it was a man, whose arms were crossed at his chest. He had wires circulating from various parts of his body into a large machine above the container. The man had very long silver hair. Vincent blinked momentarily, then gasped and cried, "Sephiroth!"

Suddenly, Hojo's arm was around his mouth.

"You've seen too much today, Vincent. When we get back to your room, I'm going to make sure you forget everything you've seen today."

Vincent would have asked, but decided not to. They traveled back downstairs, and as they did, Vincent noticed that the monster was now growing human-like features. When the two reached his chamber, Hojo was back to his eerie human self again. He shoved Vincent painfully on the table and immediately strapped him down. Vincent glanced at his arms, which still had the restraints on his wrists. Baffled, Vincent glimpsed at Hojo, who put was tightening the belts around his legs and hips. He suddenly turned away, picked something up, and whirled around again. A strange utensil was in his hand. Vincent recognized it and closed his eyes as Hojo shoved the mechanism down over his head. It almost snapped Vincent's neck, and he screamed. But his howl was drowned by a large metal clamp that got forced onto his mouth. The claw tightened, and Vincent winced. He opened his eyes and stared at Hojo for a moment. He noticed a hint of fear and rush in the man's actions. He was fumbling with everything he picked up. He turned his back and quickly searched the table for something, then returned to Vincent with another needle in his hands. Vincent clenched his fists and felt the stab. This time it was more painful, and he tried to cry out, but the metal device over his head prevented him from making any noise. Soon, though, the pain faded, as did all consciousness, and black was all around him...


End file.
